


Unsolving Mystery

by Lilith_Sam



Series: Duskwood Series: Sam [1]
Category: Duskwood (Everbyte Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:46:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 15,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29337006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilith_Sam/pseuds/Lilith_Sam
Summary: This story takes place after episode 6.After Jake vanished, Sam decides to go to Duskwood to find the missing Hannah. He had asked to continue the search without him and Sam wanted to find her at all costs...
Relationships: MC/Jake, OC/Jake, Sam/Jake, Samantha/Jake
Series: Duskwood Series: Sam [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2163909
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of the first fanfics I wrote for a long time.  
> It came into my mind after playing Episode 6 and the hole story again.  
> I wrote the story and translated it (since English is not my native language I’m sorry for any mistakes) just for myself. I’ve never thought about publishing it.  
> But in the last month I read a lot of beauftiful stories here or on tumblr so I finally decided, to publish my story, too.  
> Enjoy reading!

'At what point went everything so terribly wrong?' Sam asked herself as she sat handcuffed on a chair and looked around.  
'Was it when Thomas wrote to me the first time asking for help? I could have just ignored these people. I mean, a woman whose name I've never heard of in my life disappears and a message with my number is sent to her boyfriends cell phone. Already then I should have been alarmed. But instead of ignoring this message, I read it and stayed to help. Because I wanted to. Because I knew exactly how they felt. Helpless, forsaken by the police, Thomas and his friends wanted to find Hannah on their own. And their only trace was my number back then.'  
Sam was in a dark room with poor light, the walls gray concrete, apart from the chair on which she was tied, there was also a table. She felt something in her pocket. Something her attacker probably hadn't noticed. Or he hadn't scanned her. Fortunately, if she somehow managed to loosen the shackles and get to the item. As she tried this, she continued to think.  
'Maybe it went wrong when I started to befriend and relate to these people instead of looking at everything professionally and from a distance, as I had learned. Or when I started developing feelings. Or was it when I went to Duskwood to investigate? Instead of staying hundreds of kilometers away in my safe home.'  
She thought about the past few weeks. 'Okay, if I'm just sitting around here anyway. Again from the beginning...'

\---

Sam sat in her favorite spot, a branch of a big old tree and looked around. The tree stood in a small park in her home town and from this place she could watch the people in the park. She saw people going for walks, dogs playing, children running around. Despite the hustle and bustle around her, this place and especially this tree calmed her down. Here she could let her mind wander. Here she felt safe and secure. Her father had shown her this place. Here she could be close to him. As she sat up there, her cell phone vibrated. A 'Thomas' wrote to her and asked if she was there. 'This is not a Thomas I know' she thought as she looked at the message. But she wrote back and asked if they would know each other.  
With this message a lot changed in Sam's rather quiet life in a short time.

Sam listened to what Thomas and his friends had to say.  
And when she was asked to stay and help them find their friend, she didn't hesitate for a second. She knew how they felt.  
Duskwood, the place where the friends lived, was 300 kilometers from Sam's home. So she could see everything from a safe distance and neutrally. But everything turned out differently.

Over the next few days after the first message from Thomas, Sam spent a lot of virtual time with them and a mysterious hacker who, among other things, had given Sam access to Hannah's cloud storage in order to find clues about Hannah's disappearance.  
In the course of these days they discovered many clues and traces and Sam gradually learned a lot from and about the friends, about the city, Hannah and the hacker.  
Jake, as the hacker's name was, didn't seem to be in Duskwood, too and he became a good confidante when it came to analyzing and discussing theories and traces found and to getting an idea of what happened.  
The two were on the same wavelength and got along well and Sam caught herself a few times thinking of him and wondering if she would ever meet him in person.

As the days progressed, they kept finding clues and traces, but bad things also happened.  
Shortly after Thomas wrote to Sam and she was drawn into the matter, the kidnapper contacted Sam and threatened her. Little by little he threatened others, sent threatening letters and even attacked one of the friends while Sam was on the phone with her.  
Bad things also happened within the circle of friends. They argued, suspected each other, and one of them was hospitalized after a car accident.  
One of them, Lilly, Hannah's younger sister, posted a video about a week after Hannah disappeared accusing Sam and Jake of being Hannah's kidnappers. And as if that wasn't bad enough, she also claimed that the two of them had something to do with a body that was discovered in the woods on day 4 after Hannah went missing.  
The video disappeared a few hours later after Jake talked to Lilly and explained his connection to Hannah. But these few hours and the information released about him were enough that he ultimately had to go into hiding.  
Before that, he confided in Sam that he was wanted because he 'interfered in things that should never have been made public'.

Shortly before his disappearance, Jake sent a link to Lilly, forcing her to contact Sam and work with her. Sam quickly suspected that Jake only did this so that the two of them could end their argument and learn the truth about him and his connection to Hannah together.  
In fact, after solving some puzzles, they saw a video of Jake explaining that he was the half-brother of Hannah and Lilly and that Hannah turned to ask for his help shortly before she disappeared. He also asked Sam to continue searching for Hannah without him.  
Lilly then tried to help Jake by spreading false traces about him on the Internet all over the world through her hard-working 'helpers' who had contacted her after the video.

After Jake's disappearance, Sam felt strangely uncomfortable and insecure and wondered how she could manage to find Hannah without him. She continued to search Hannah's cloud storage for photos, videos or other files that might help her, but without her confidante it was difficult to interpret what she found.


	2. Chapter 2

On day 9 after Hannah went missing, Sam decided to go to Duskwood.

"Are you crazy, Sam? You can't seriously do that” said Nora after Sam told her about her plan. Nora is Sam's best friend. The two had known each other since they met in kindergarden and argued over a shovel they both wanted to play with.

“Nora, we've known each other for almost 30 years. You should know me better and know how serious I am. For that matter, I'm not kidding. And you know that I can defend myself by now. I'll be ok. But I can't do anything from here. I have to do this."

"Yes, Sam. I know that. But that doesn't change the fact that I am worried about you. You set off to a place 300 kilometers away, where a few days ago a woman's corpse was found, in which a woman vanished and in which something like this happened 10 years ago. I love you and support you wherever I can, you know that. But after what happened to you when you were 10, you can't possibly mean that.” Nora was worried and a little pissed off, which was a bad combination.

Sam sighed. “In almost every place there are missing and murdered people, Nora. If that's your argument about not going to Duskwood, then you shouldn't go anywhere. I know what happened to me. I will never forget that. But I'm over it and you should slowly recover from it and process it. Nora, you know me and my abilities and above all my stubbornness. I got it on my mind so I'm going to do this. And I want you to be on my side."

Sam hitted a sore spot, Nora looked guiltily at Sam and then said, "Samantha, I've always been on your side and I'll always be on your side. But I'm still worried about you. Especially when you're up to do something stupid and run into the knife with your eyes open."

"What can go wrong?" Sam replied, winking at Nora.

“Famous last words. Seriously, I really can't talk you out of it?” Nora asked.

"No. The decision has been made” Sam replied with full conviction.

"Fine. I support you where I can and I know that you will make it. You really must have a crush on that hacker. Or is it one of the other good-looking gentlemen? This bar owner, Phil, is kind of cute."

“His name is Jake. And no, I have no crush on him, but he asked me to continue my search for Hannah. And I want to find her not just for him, but for her friends, for Lilly, and for myself. And besides, I'm going to Duskwood to investigate and to find the kidnapper and not to flirt wih someone."

“You don't have to flirt with someone, the hacker has totally a crush on you, and you on him. Even if you two are the only ones on this planet who don't see that, Sam. I don't know anyone but me for whom you would take something like that on yourself."

Nora's words made Sam think. Nora was right, it didn't really suit Sam. Nora knew her best friend and felt that she was starting to brood. So she said "Hey Sam. You're not leaving until tomorrow and you've already packed everything. How about we order pizza tonight and watch a movie? Or we can talk again about our vacation to our thirty year old anniversary."

It worked and Sam gratefully accepted the distraction to get out of the brooding. The two women wanted to celebrate their 30-year friendship with a vacation together in Disneyland Paris and it wasn't that long anymore until it started.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Nora said goodbye to her best friend before Sam drove to Duskwood. Sam promised to contact her as soon as she got there and to contact her at least once a day.  
It was good to have someone at home to talk to and who take care of her.

The drive to Duskwood didn't take as long as Sam expected. While driving, she heard her 'good mood'-Playlist, a mixture of very different genres, which couldn't be more diverse, but with the predominance of rock and metal. But it reflected Sam's nature and versatility.  
When Sam arrived in Duskwood, she was in a great mood. The Playlist and singing along had done a great job. She liked driving around alone and being herself without others hearing her 'weird' singing.

She had booked a room in advance at the Duskwood motel and that was her first goal.  
She hadn't told her friends about her plan, because they would probably have tried to keep her from coming. But Sam wanted it.  
It wouldn't be long, however, before word of her arrival spread.  
Even if she hardly left any traces on social media and never published photos of herself in Messengers on which she could be recognized, she had spoken to some of her friends on the cell phone and there they had seen Sam.

The parking lot from the motel was manageable and there were only a handful of other cars there. She parked her car and got out. It was a sunny afternoon and Sam made up her mind to take another walk in the sun after checking in.

There was a lady at reception who Sam estimated to be in her late forties. The lady looked up at Sam and Sam saw the same expression on her face that she was used to from strangers.  
Sam was a courteous, friendly and good-humored woman. But you didn't necessarily see it at first glance if you didn't know her. She had black and red hair about shoulder-length, with an undercut on the left side and her long hair always combed back and right so that you could see it clearly. She preferred to wear black Band-Shirts, blue jeans and black boots. There was a scar above her right eyebrow, but her hair never really covered it.  
Sam smiled at the lady, greeted her warmly and gave her a reservation number.

“Hello and welcome to Duskwood, Miss Kruger. I hope you had a pleasant journey. I'm Miss Walter, the owner of this small motel”, Miss Walter introduced herself in a very friendly tone.

As it was Sam's sort, she chatted with Miss Walter for a little while before she took the room key to take a look at the room.

Her room was more like a suite and was definitely not what Sam expected. It was large and spacious and was well furnished with a king size bed, table and two chairs, and an armchair. There was even a small kitchenette to cook something for yourself.

When she had unpacked, Sam called Nora to tell her that she had arrived safely.  
Nora couldn't help but crack a joke about the king-size bed. After they had spoken briefly, Nora asked what Sam was up to and how it should go on now. However, Nora did not like Sam's answer to take a walk to the Dare House in the forest. She persuaded Sam not to go yet and instead look around at Duskwood itself and perhaps pay the Aurora and Phil an unexpected visit.

Thanks to the Duskwood map that Jake had downloaded onto Sam's cell phone and which was automatically updated whenever she found out something new about Duskwood, she knew the exact route and had no difficulty in finding her way around.  
It also helped a lot that Jessy had taken her on a virtual tour of the city, even if it had not ended well for Jessy.

Sam had just arrived at Café Rainbow when she recognized Cleo, who was walking about 50 meters in front of her in the direction of the church. Then Sam remembered that she should inform the others about her arrival.  
She sat down in the Café, ordered a milkshake and opened the Messenger. But before she opened the group chat, she looked for the chat between her and Jake.

The last time she had written to Jake was three days ago, after finding a digital version of the book "Midnight in Duskwood" in Hannah's Cloud. She had reenacted a conversation with him and told him what he would probably have written her.  
She started typing, 'Hey Jake. It's been a while since we got in touch. I hope everything is fine with you. Unfortunately, I haven't found anything useful in Hannah's Cloud since the book. Otherwise it was also relatively quiet. You asked me to keep looking for Hannah, so I decided to go to Duskwood. If you're reading this, it's too late to get upset because I'm already there. I keep you informed.'

When Sam wanted to open the group chat, she was shown a new message, not for her personally, but for Jessy, in spy mode, the message came from Dan.  
Dan: 'Hey Jessy. Are you there?'  
Sam saw that Jessy was now online.  
Jessy: 'Hi Dan. Yes I am, but I don't have much time. What's up?'  
Dan: 'I'm supposed to be released from the hospital tomorrow. Could you pick me up?'  
Jessy: 'I can talk to Richy about whether I can take a day off or leave early, but that shouldn't be a problem. I'll talk to him and write to you later.'  
Dan: 'Okay, thanks!'  
Jessy: 'Sure. See you later' and Jessy was offline again.

Sam got another message, this time to her.  
Dan: 'Hey Sam, you're online. Boredom?'  
Sam smiled. She liked Dan. After the first encounter in the group chat which had started the whole thing for Sam, she'd thought Dan was an ass. But over the past few days she had learned that Dan was just very direct and said what he thought. Sam liked that because it made him special - an honest person. The others from Hannah's circle of friends kept important information from Sam or didn't tell her everything, Dan was different.  
She wrote back to him: 'Hi Dan. Haven't heard for a long time. How are you? Did you get my flowers?'  
Dan: 'How am I supposed to be here, the food here hasn't gotten any better in the last few days and the nurses haven't changed either. But I'll finally be released tomorrow! And thanks for the flowers. Actually, I'm not into that, but I was happy about the gesture.'  
Sam: 'Nice that you will be released tomorrow! Will someone pick you up?'  
Dan: 'If I'm lucky, Jess.'  
Sam thought for a moment to write Dan that she is in Duskwood and offer him that she could pick him up, but she let it go and decided instead to pay him a visit tomorrow when he gets home.  
Dan: 'Unfortunately you're not here to pick me up ;) '  
Sam: 'What if I tell you that I could pick you up?'

It was less than 10 seconds before her cell phone rang, it was Dan.  
Sam answered and greeted him.  
Dan: “What do you mean? Sam, you're not in Duskwood, are you?"  
Sam: "Yes, that's exactly what it means. I arrived almost two hours ago."  
Dan: “WTF, Sam. Why? It's dangerous here for someone like you. Do the others already know?"  
Sam: “No, not yet. I just was about to let you all know."  
Dan: "Can you wait until tomorrow with that?"  
Sam was suddenly irritated. “Sure could I. But why?"  
Dan: “Because the others will definitely want to meet you right away. Tomorrow, I could be there too."  
That calmed Sam down a bit and she started laughing, then replied "Yes, I can do it. And Dan? If Jessy doesn't have time to pick you up, let me know and I'll pick you up."  
Dan: "How do you know Jess doesn't have time?"  
Sam: "Because you wrote 'if you're lucky'. For me that means that it is not safe yet."  
Dan laughed “Maybe it's a good thing that you're here. Well, then I let you keep doing 'Sam-things'. I'll get in touch if Jess can't pick me up."  
The two said goodbye and Sam hung up.

Sam thought about how it should go on now. If she went to the Aurora today, she would run the risk that the others would notice of her arrival.  
On the other hand, she could inform the friends today and ask them if they could meet tomorrow.  
She looked at the clock, it was a little after 6 pm. Sam opened the group chat with everyone and started typing 'Hey guys. Since rumors spread very quickly in Duskwood, I wanted to prevent this and inform you that I am in Duskwood. I would be happy if we could all meet up tomorrow evening. Today wouldn't be good because Dan is still in the hospital and it would be a bit short-term.'  
As usual, Richy was the first to come online and typed: 'Hey ho. Woah what?! Why are you in Duskwood?'  
Sam: 'I'll explain that to you tomorrow. Can we meet somewhere?'  
Richy: 'You could all come to me at the junkyard. Tomorrow's Friday. Would 7 pm be okay for you?'  
Sam: 'That sounds good. Everyone else can read it. Tomorrow evening, 7 pm, meet at the junkyard. I hope you all have time.' and with that she closed the Messenger and made her way to the Aurora.


	4. Chapter 4

The Aurora reminded Sam of her favorite bar in her home town, an Irish pub, and she was sure that Nora would like it here too, and not just because of the owner of the bar.  
In addition to the usual tables and chairs, there were also sofa corners and in the back of the bar there were three pool tables, a table football and two dartboards.  
The counter was quite large and all kinds of spirits were on display on the shelves behind it. Two men were talking behind the bar, one of them was Phil.

As she walked from the entrance towards the bar, the eyes of the patrons present turned to Sam. It was still quite early and therefore still very empty and yet Sam felt the curious and skeptical looks on her.  
She sat on a stool at the bar. Phil had his back to her, but the other bartender gave her a quick nod. A sign that she knew from many bartenders: 'I've noticed you and I'll be over to you in a minute'.

While she waited, Sam looked at the card. There were some snacks, which was good because as she read the menu, her stomach made itself felt.  
“What can I serve you, beautiful stranger?” The bartender asked her.  
Sam ordered a beer and a sandwich and looked around curiously.

"Hello beauty" Sam was suddenly addressed from behind the bar. It was Phil. He smiled at her and then said "Welcome to the Aurora. Your first time in Duskwood.” That wasn't a question.

“Hello Phil” Sam began to answer with a smile “yes, this is my first time here. I thought I would accept your invitation to tell me more. You said you will have a stool for me” and winked at him.

"Sam? Wow. I didn't expect you to accept the invitation so quickly. And I didn't expect you to look like THAT” he admitted and Sam heard a certain appreciation in his voice.

"My appearance seems to be an unfamiliar sight here in Duskwood, considering the sceptical looks of the other patrons, when I walked in here."

“Not everyone appreciates beautiful women as much as I do. Nice style, I like it."

"Thank you. I am happy to return the compliment. Your bar has a certain charm that reminds me very much of my local bar."

Sam and Phil talked briefly, then Phil went about his work when Sam got her snack. The sandwich was really delicious.  
After meal she wanted to order another beer, but instead Phil mixed her a cocktail that she liked very much.  
It wasn't that busy that evening, so Phil had time to talk to Sam and she learned a lot from him that could be useful.

At some point Phil leaned on the counter to get closer to Sam, looked deep into her blue eyes and then said after a while “You really ask a lot of questions. Can I ask you something now?"

"Shoot" Sam replied, but saw a brief hesitation in his eyes.

"Why is it so important to you to find a missing woman who you don't know?"

Sam was surprised by the question, but then replied “because I know exactly how they are feeling. Helpless and abandoned by the police. Hannah is incredibly important to these people, I understood that from the start. And I'm the one for it. I will find her."

"You seem to be very sure of your cause."

"I am. I have my methods." Sam hesitated briefly and then continued "But that wasn't what you actually wanted to ask, was it?"

Phil laughed before answering the question. "You're good. You should be a bartender. In addition to the obvious mixing of drinks, good observation makes a great bartender. All right, then I'll ask the question I actually wanted to ask. Are you attached, any men or women in your life?"

“To be honest, I used to expect that question earlier. There is someone. Nora, my best friend. We've known each other for almost 30 years. Apart from her..." Sam considered and then said "... no. I do not think so. It's complicated."

"For someone who's so good in observation, you're pretty bad. There is no such thing as 'it's complicated'. It's a simple question. But I take it that there is someone. Are you two together?"

"No."

"Do you like him?"

"Yes."

"Does he like you?"

"I dont know."

"Does he like you?"

"He never said it."

“I don't ask you a third time because I can see that you are uncomfortable. But let me give you some advice. If you don't know, you should find out. Quickly. It would be a shame to miss out on opportunities. You are still young, so enjoy life."

Phil made Sam another drink and then sat down next to her.  
“It's not busy today. Unfortunately the guests still stay away. It's time you found the bastard. It's bad for business."

"I plan to do so" Sam said confidently.

“In about half an hour it's closing time. If you want, I'll take you to the motel” Phil offered.  
Sam just looked at him with a raised eyebrow.  
“Relax. With no ulterior motives. I just don't think our new celebrity should be walking through Duskwood alone at night. As I told you, this city can be very strange."  
Sam thought for a moment, but then thankfully accepted Phil's offer.

About half an hour later, the two set off. It took about 15 minutes to walk from the Aurora to the motel.  
Sam enjoyed Phil's company and time passed by very quickly.  
When the two arrived in the parking lot, Sam confessed "You are very different from what I expected."

“I'll put it this way, if Jessy or the others told you something about me I can roughly imagine what kind of picture you had of me. I hope tonight I was able to show you how I really am."

"I was told you were a 'womanizer'."

“I value the company of beautiful and self-confident women. But let me tell you that I would never try anything if the other person didn't want to."

They now had reached Sam's room.  
"Good night, celebrity-girl" Phil said smiling as he said goodbye and kissed Sam on the cheek. The gesture surprised Sam and she smiled at him.  
"Good night, Phil and thank you for everything."


	5. Chapter 5

When Sam woke up the next day, she saw several new messages on her cell phone.

Most of them were from the group chat, where one by one commented that Sam was in Duskwood and that of course they would take their time that evening to get to know her. They all would be there.

There were a few messages in spy mode between Jessy and Dan, in which Jessy confirmed that she would pick up Dan from the hospital.

Another message to her from Dan, who told her that Jessy would pick him up. Sam replied to the message before looking at the next unread messages.

There was another message from Richy asking if she could come to the junkyard earlier today. He didn't write why, but she replied briefly that she would be there around 5 pm.

Phil had written too. 'Hey Sam. I had a lot of fun last night. It would be nice if we would repeat that at some point, if you have the bastard or you need a distraction in between ;) And if you need help, just write me. I'll be there.'  
Sam thought for a moment, then answered him and thanked him for the offer and that she would certainly come back to it.

The last unread message was from Nora. 'Good morning sleepyhead. Hope you are still alive and have not been kidnapped. Call me if you can.'  
Only now did Sam realize that she was still in bed. She got up and made a cup of coffee before calling Nora.

Nora picked up on the second ring: "Hey sleepyhead. How was your evening?"  
"Good. I was in the Aurora and talked to Phil."  
"So? Is he as cute as in the photos?"  
Sam laughed and then said "Nora, I wasn't there for that. You know my priorities. I continued my investigation."  
"I know. But flirting a little won't hurt you either. It's been way too long since you got involved in this. Anyway, we'll discuss that when you get home. Did you find out anything?"  
“Indeed I have. Phil was very helpful and willingly answered my questions. That could help me.” Sam summarized last night's conversation as briefly as possible.  
When she was done with the subject and Sam was about to say goodbye, Nora said "Oh, before I forget. A postcard has arrived for you."  
That puzzled Sam "A postcard? Who is still writing that these days? What does it say?"  
“It took me a while to figure it out. It's from your hacker friend. Basically it says that he is fine. He has received your messages, will get back to you as soon as possible and he misses you."  
Sam exhaled in relief "Thank you, Nora."  
"You're welcome. Any plans for today?"  
Sam told Nora about her plans and the two chatted a bit.  
Nora was solid as a rock for Sam even in turbulent times and it was the other way around, too. They could just rely on the other.

After Sam hung up, she went into the bathroom to shower and freshen up, then she had breakfast, even though it was already noon.  
Sam planned to pay the pawnbroker a visit.

When she left the room and went to the door, there was an envelope in front of her door. She looked around confused, took the envelope and opened it.

_'I told you to stay out of it. You ignored my warnings. I'll give you 24 hours to leave Duskwood or something terrible will happen.'_

The letter was exactly structured like the one Cleo's mother had received. Not handwritten, but glued together with letters from a newspaper.

Sam read the threatening letter through several times. Then she smiled, changed her plans for today, and went back to her room.  
She'd arrived yesterday and hadn't visited many places, but Hannah's kidnapper already knew she was there. Sam still seemed to scare the kidnapper, she came closer to him. This letter spurred her on.

She took the memory card from the small camera she had attached to the peephole upon arrival and put it in her notebook.  
Sam looked at the recorded material. The camera's angle of view was set up so that she saw everything that was going on right outside her door.  
She saw other guests walking past her door. She watched herself leave the room and watched Old Gray and Miss Walter go by. Sam fast forwarded a bit. The next thing she saw was her and Phil and how they said goodbye at her door. At the moment when Phil kissed her on the cheek, Sam unconsciously grabbed the place where his lips had touched her cheek. Sam saw the door open and close again. And she saw that Phil came back shortly after he left and stood in front of her door for a few minutes. Sam smiled when she realized that Phil seemed to be wrestling with whether to knock or not. He left a few minutes later.  
Sam fast forwarded a bit again. Then she saw a man walking past her door several times. He seemed to keep glancing at her door. The man passed the door twice and the third time he bent down to put something in front of the door. That was exactly what she was hoping for.  
She watched this scene repeatedly and looked for conspicuous features, for clues, for anything that would help her.  
She paused at a point where you could see the man relatively well. He was wearing a dark brown coachman’s coat and had the hood pulled over his face. Nevertheless, Sam recognized a relatively prominent nose and a dark, longer full beard.  
Sam took a screenshot of the man and saved the video. Then she cut the video with the scene of the man in the coachman’s coat and saved this part as well.  
She took the next memory card into the camera so she could keep seeing what was happening outside her door.

Then she copied the screenshot and the cut video on her cell phone and took a picture of the threatening letter and sent everything to Jake.  
'Hey Jake. I received your postcard. Thank you for that! Look what I also received, a threatening letter. I also send you a video of the person who most likely left the letter in front of my door and a screenshot on which you can recognize him relatively well. I hope you can do something with it.'

Then she called Nora, but she didn't answer. So Sam wrote her a message asking for a call back.

Next she looked for Phil in her contacts and called him. This time she was luckier.  
"Sam! What a happy surprise. What can I do for you?"  
“Hi Phil. You offered me your help. Is it still valid?"  
"Sure. It's only been a few hours. How?"  
“Can we meet? I would like to show you something."  
"Give me half an hour. Then I am completely there for you."  
"Thank you! Can we meet at your place?"  
"Of course we can. I'll send you the address."  
"Okay, see you later, Phil."  
"See you, Sam" and with that Sam hung up.

In the meantime, Nora had written that she now is contactable. Sam didn't hesitate a second and called her. As it was Sam's nature, she got straight to the point and told Nora about the letter and the recordings she had.  
When she finished, Nora advised her to check out of the motel and stay with one of the friends so that she wasn't alone. Nora knew that there was no point in convincing Sam to abandon the search and come home. But at least Sam wouldn't be alone.  
“You are right, Nora. But I haven't met any of them personally and I can't judge who I can really trust yet. We don't meet until evening."  
“Then trust your gut feeling. Sam, you have to take care of yourself. I don't want anything to happen to you."  
“It won't. I have you, Nora. One more thing, we once had this app with which we could locate each other. Is it still running on your phone?"  
"Sure. I know exactly where you are right now."  
"Good. I reconfigured my watch and activated the GPS here too, so you should see two dots after restarting the app. Just in case."  
"I understand. I keep an eye on you. Take care, Sam."  
Sam and Nora talked briefly and then said goodbye so that Sam could drive to Phil, who had meanwhile sent her his address.


	6. Chapter 6

Sam arrived at the address Phil had sent her. She rang the doorbell and it wasn't long before Phil opened the door and greeted her with a smile.  
She entered and he showed her the way into the living room, got them something to drink and sat down next to her on the sofa.  
Sam got straight to the point and told Phil about the threatening letter and the recordings.  
When she was done she looked at Phil. His look was threatening and he seemed to be considering.

"Why are you coming to me with this?" asked Phil after a while.

“After last night's conversation, I thought you could most likely help me. You are attentive and know your way around Duskwood and as a bartender you hear a lot. I was hoping you could give me a clue who this man is."

Sam turned on her laptop and showed him the picture, which Phil was looking at carefully. Then he asked her to show him the video.

"Rogers" Phil said quietly after a while, so that Sam almost overheard it.

"Richy?" Sam asked confused.

“Paul, Richy's father. I know he has a coachman’s coat like that. Besides him, I don't know anyone from Duskwood who wears something like this." Phil paused before he continued "You ... You have a camera on your door? So you know that I came back again and was about to knock on your door."

“Yes, I saw that when I went through the recordings. Would you like to tell me something about that?"

"No, actually I would prefer you didn't know anything about it."

"Ok. I already forgot.” and when Sam said that, she smiled at Phil.

"Offhandedly?"

"Yes, offhandedly. If I wasn't on the trail of a kidnapper and looking for someone missing, I wouldn't have put a camera on the door. And then I wouldn't have noticed. And since that has nothing to do with the case, I can just forget about it."

"Thanks" said Phil. Then he looked at Sam worried. "You shouldn't stay in this motel."

"That's exactly what Nora said."

"A smart woman, your best friend."

"Indeed, she is. You would get along well."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Now? I will continue."

"Sam, you were threatened by that bastard."

"It's not the first time."

“But the last few times it was only over the phone and video. This time you are here and he knows where you 'live'. Pick one of your friends and stay with them. According to what you have said, he only seems to be after people who are traveling alone."

“I haven't met anyone of them so far and I can't judge who I can trust yet. We don't meet until evening."

"You can trust Jessy."

That surprised Sam. "So far I had the impression that you weren't that close."

“We're not either. But she ... she is trustworthy and loyal. And she wouldn't hesitate and say yes immediately if you asked her."

Sam thought for a moment. “I don't know if this is such a good idea. The attack on her wasn't that long ago."

"WHAT? What attack?"

"You do not know? A few days ago, Jessy and I took a walk together, so virtually I mean. She wanted to show me the beautiful side of Duskwood. And on her way home she was attacked by a masked bastard."

"Was that the same night Cleo and Thomas tried to get into the Aurora's basement?"

"Yes exactly. Jessy told me straight away that you had written to her."

"That's why she didn't get in touch." Phil looked thoughtful. "How is she doing?"

“A little better now. But I think she is still very scared and has not yet processed the attack. She doesn't understand why it hit her of all people."

"I see. Maybe it's not a good idea to stay with her then.” Now Phil's expression changed and he smiled devilishly. "But. You can also stay here at any time."

It made Sam laugh when she saw the look on his face. "Thanks for the offer. But it feels a bit like I'm going to make a deal with the devil if I accept."

Phil came closer to her on the sofa and looked at her attentively with his dark eyes. "As I told you yesterday. I would never try something if the other person didn't want it.” He paused for a long time and then asked “Would you like to have another drink?”

Phil had managed to distracted Sam completely. She looked at him confused. Phil seemed to have achieved exactly what he wanted. He got up, walked out of the living room and came back a short time later with new drinks.

“Well, now you've got a name. What are you going to do now?"

"It's time to have a chat with Paul Rogers."

Phil didn't liked the idea of speaking to Paul Rogers. But he didn't have a better idea to find out who was behind the threatening letter.

"Then at least don't do it alone, stubborn women" said Phil a short time later.

Sam laughed "Seriously, you and Nora, you must never meet! You would get along too well."

“You should ask Richy to come with you when you speak to Paul. I'm not on good terms with him, but he could be useful to you. And if you like, I'll come with you tonight to meet your new friends."

"What? Do you mean that seriously? Why?"

“I offered you to help, didn't I? I mean it, damn. And even if I have other reasons than you and your friends, I want to catch the bastard just like you. You know I am a good source of information and will be useful."

Sam was relieved. After the first conversation with Phil she had hoped he would, but she would never have asked him. "Thank you. I appreciate your help."

The two talked for a while before Sam drove to the junkyard.


	7. Chapter 7

She arrived at Roger's garage around 5 pm. Sam parked in a customer lot and looked around. It was a typical workshop and she recognized one or the other car from Richy's photos that he had uploaded to his profile. She also recognized Dan's broken car and wondered if Richy had already found out more about the accident.  
A man came towards her. Sam guessed that he was about her age, maybe a few years younger. He was tall and slender, with short brown hair and a friendly smile. "Hello and welcome to Rogers Garage, I'm Richy" he greeted Sam.

Sam smiled "Richy. Nice to finally meet you and see what you look like. I'm Sam."  
Richy looked surprised. Sam had long since got used to the expressions on the faces and was always amused by them. “You wanted me to come earlier and here I am. You have a nice workshop here."

"Thank you. And excuse my surprised face. I ... “ he didn't know how to end the sentence.

"You didn't expect me to look the way I look" Sam finished his sentence. "It's okay. I'm used to that. Doesn't seem to be a lot of Metalheads here."

Richy scratches the back of his head. "Uh. Yes or something like that. Thank you for coming earlier. I thought I'd take the chance before the others come."

Richy led Sam into his office and offered her something to drink. Then the two sat down on a sofa. “So” Sam began “what do you want to talk about? And why do you want to clarify this in private and not wait until everyone is there?"

“I thought again about the day Hannah was kidnapped. You once asked me if I noticed anything about her behavior or if she mentioned something strange."

“I still remember that. You said you didn't notice anything."

"Yes, I did." Richy paused for a moment and took a deep breath and then exhaled, then continued. There was sadness in his voice. “When Hannah got into the car, I saw a photo in her passenger seat. I forgot, so I didn't tell you, Sam. Last night I remembered it again. When I went to look at it, Hannah covered this photo. So I only saw it very briefly, but the woman in the photo looked familiar to me."

"A woman?" Sam asked.

"Yes. Her name was Jennifer. Jennifer Hanson."

That made Sam curious, but she tried not to let it show. "Who is this?"

Then Richy told her something Sam had already learned from Dan. Jennifer, a young woman who was found dead in the forest 16 years ago.  
He told it like Dan had told Sam. What Sam had not found out yet, however, was that Hannah and Richy had seen how 'a large, terrifying figure' dragged a lifeless body through the forest and left it on a hill. They were in hiding and were terrified. When this 'figure' was gone, Richy went to the body and shook it, but it didn't move, it was death.  
Richy had tears in his eyes when he told Sam about it. Sam moved closer to Richy on the sofa and hugged him before she said softly “Oh, Richy. That's horrible. I had no idea."

They sat there for a few minutes until Richy had calmed down. “I was 12 then, about a year after the test of courage I told you about. So you can maybe imagine what I really think of Duskwoods Forests. In any case, Hannah and I were not believed that we saw a 'figure' who pulled Jennifer through the forest and just left her lifeless body. The police believed that we just imagined this up in our fear. Over the years I've tried to suppress what happened back then. But Hannah ... Hannah never got over it. She really wants to discover what happened back then and who is behind it. She wants to find those who are responsible for it and bring them to justice. I'm the only one in the gang she told about it. She didn't even tell Thomas that she was researching again."  
Richy looked at Sam worried. "Anyway, I believe that she got too close to the truth and therefore was kidnapped."

"Why do you think that?"

“A few weeks ago Hannah asked me to accompany her to Iris. Iris is ... was Jennifer's mother. We talked to her again about what happened then. I think Hannah was hoping to learn something new. But we don't have that. However, I believe we were watched. It's just a feeling I had. Maybe my memories of what happened back then made me paranoid.” When Richy said the last sentence, he scratched his head in embarrassment.

Sam looked at Richy with compassion. “You never told anyone. You dragged that around with you all these years."  
Richy didn't say anything, he just nodded.


	8. Chapter 8

Around 7 pm the others gradually arrived at the junkyard. Sam was on the one hand happy to finally get to know everyone, on the other hand a little skeptical to meet them.  
And in the last few hours she had learned so much new from Phil and Richy. It suddenly seemed to her as if she had received the threatening letter weeks ago and not less than 10 hours ago.

She wanted to call Nora to tell her what she had heard. But that still had to wait.

After Sam had greeted everyone and 'officially' introduced herself to the guys, they sat down.  
Just before the others arrived, Richy and Sam had set up chairs and benches and two tables. Richy told her that the gang often met at his place to grill or celebrate.

A short time later, Phil arrived, too.  
Sam saw the looks that were given to Phil, partly puzzled, partly angry, partly completely expressionless and she took the floor. “Before you say anything. Phil offered his help, which I gratefully accepted. That's why he's here. I invited him so he could hear what I have to say."

"When did you talk to him?" Lilly asked.

"Sam came into the Aurora last night and we continued our conversation that we started a few days ago" said Phil, bored. Then he added with a wink "and we spent a little time together today."

The gang looked questioningly at Sam. She rolled her eyes. "Not as you think..." and then she told them about the threatening letter she found in front of her room that morning, the notes she had made, about her findings and why she went to Phil with it.  
When she finished and looked around, she got very worried looks.

"Sam. That's awful " Cleo said.

"Shit" Dan agreed.

"What are you going to do now?" Thomas asked worried.

"Finding Hannah" Sam said confidently. She no longer looked into worried but surprised faces. “Thomas, you wrote me because Hannah sent you my number. Cleo, you explained that you were trying to find Hannah and that you were clinging to every straw. Richy, you asked me to stay. You all thought it might help. Jessy, Dan, Lilly, I know you weren't enthusiastic about it in the beginning at all and we had difficulties, but I've achieved a lot in the short time with you. I've proven that you can trust me. Now you have to trust each other. I know you have secrets from one another. I know you suspect each other. I know you don't necessarily get along well. However, none of this is important at the moment. The task is to find Hannah. So I ask you, here and now: Can you share your secrets with each other, drop your accusations and make up, at least until Hannah is back?"

Dan was the first to say something: "Yep." Sam smiled at him.  
Jessy was the next to jump up and scream "Yes, we can", followed by Cleo, Richy, Thomas and also Lilly, who gradually agreed. Sam looked at Phil: "what about you?"  
Phil looked at her, his face couldn't be read. "I didn't think the speech was meant for me too" then added "but yes, as I said, I'm in."

"Good. Thank you. It's really important that we all work together on this. First let me say that I don't think it was one of you who kidnapped Hannah” Sam said next. "I think that her kidnapping has to do with an incident that happened a long time ago" she looked at Richy "would you tell them?"

Richy nodded, then he told his friends for the first time what happened in the forest back when he and Hannah were children. The others listened carefully and didn't say anything.  
When he was done, Jessy stood up and walked over to him to hug him. "Oh my god, Richy, I'm so sorry. That's horrible."

"Why didn't you ever tell us?" Cleo asked him. She didn't sound reproachful, just worried. Probably because she already knew the answer.

“Not even the police believed us. They thought we just imagined this to our fear" Richy replied.

“Not only that” Sam intervened to protect Richy and Hannah “Hannah was with a therapist. He didn't seem to believe her either. I can understand why they didn't tell anyone."

"Hold on. Hannah was with a therapist?" Thomas asked "how do you know?"

“Jake and I found session recordings during our research” Sam replied calmly. “We found out that Hannah was or is in therapy with a certain Dr. Ulric Barret."

"The hackerboy is still on board? So you didn't stay away from him” Dan interfered.

"His name is Jake" Lilly hissed at Dan.

Now everyone looked questioningly at Lilly. It was understandable that the friends were surprised at Lilly's reaction. It wasn't long ago that Lilly wanted to kick Sam out of the group and let everyone vote between herself and Sam. However, after the decision didn't turn out the way she wanted, Lilly released a video accusing Jake and Sam of being behind the kidnapping. The others only noticed that the video disappeared again. But until now they didn't know why Lilly changed her mind.

“Lilly, Jake asked to keep his secret. But it has to be" Sam made it clear to her "only if we leave the secrets behind can we help Hannah."

"You're right, Sam" Lilly admitted. Then she turned to her friends “Guys. There's something you should know about Jake. Sam and I only recently found out about it ourselves. Shortly after I posted the video, Jake called me and told me something. Then I deleted the video again. He told me that he ... that he is Hannah's and my half-brother."

Sam and Lilly looked into surprised and shocked faces.

"You believe him?" Dan asked skeptical.

"Meanwhile, yes. At first I didn't" admitted Lilly "but now everything makes sense and explains why he wanted to help us." Then Lilly told the clique everything that happened after she deleted the video - from the time she received a message from Jake up to that point by trying to help him with her #IamJake action.

"Does ist work?" Cleo asked worriedly.

"I haven't heard from him since" Lilly said sadly.

"What about you?" Phil asked. He had kept out of the conversation and was just a quiet listener. Now he looked at Sam.

“I think it works, yes. Nora, my best friend at home, told me this morning that a postcard had arrived for me. It seems to be from Jake. He said that he is fine and that he would get back as soon as possible. But nothing specific."

"So he really just wanted to help us" Jessy said. "But then why this 'creepy' behavior?"

"Self-protection, because he is wanted" Sam explained to the others "he went into hiding because he interfered in things that should never have been made public."

"Ok. So hackerboy is on our side, more than that, he belongs to the family in the truest sense of the word. But he's not available to help us” summarized Dan. Sam nodded.

"Why is the fact about Jake important to find Hannah?" Richy asked, turning to Sam.

“Because it was Hannah herself who got him involved. In his video to Lilly and me, he said that Hannah turned to him for help 'shortly before she disappeared'. As you know, I have the phone list with the calls on the day of her disappearance. There were three incoming calls and two outgoing. Among those five calls were you, Richy, Phil and Thomas."

"And the other two?" Thomas asked.

“A certain 'Alan', but I haven't been able to speak to him yet, only the Mailbox answered. And with the last number on the list, I haven't found out yet. It is noticeable, however, that this last outgoing call, at 9 minutes, lasted significantly longer than the other calls. Thomas, when you first told me about Hannah's disappearance, you forwarded a voice message from Jake. It said he had 'seen something happened to Hannah'. For this reason, I currently assume that this last number is one of Jake's."

"That could be" Lilly agreed.

"Hold on. Can we take a step back?" Phil asked. "You mentioned a certain 'Alan'. Was that an incoming or outgoing call and when was it?"

“It was an incoming call, it didn't last a minute. He came second. After that there was the outgoing call to you” Sam answered him after she had thought about it.

"Then maybe Hannah wanted something else from me."

"Who is this 'Alan'?" Sam asked interested.

“The one I bought the Aurora from. He was the previous owner. He offered it to me because he wanted to leave Duskwood. But as far as I know, he vanished."

“What could they have wanted from each other? Any idea?"

"Maybe" Dan intervened. “These Jennifer Richy was talking about. I think I remember my mom talking to Miranda about Alan having a kind of relation to Jennifer."

"That's right" Cleo now said. “It's been rumored that she was Alan's illegitimate daughter and that she went to see him to get to know him or something. But as far as I know, she was found dead before the two even met."

"So 'Jennifer' would be the common between Alan and Hannah" Sam said.

"Wait a second" Phil now looked dark and thoughtful at Sam. "Show me the photo from your recording again" he demanded. Sam did it and gave him her cell phone, Phil looked at the photo again carefully. "Of course" he said a moment later. “That bastard screwed me. That's not 'Rogers'."

"What's not me?" Richy asked confused.

“Not you” Phil replied. “Paul. I thought this" Phil showed Richy the photo of the man in front of Sam's motel room door "would be your father."

"I see, because of the ugly coachman’s coat."

"Exactly. Point is, Paul Rogers forgot that coat in the bar some time ago. Alan actually wanted to give Paul the coat back, but ..."

"... he didn't, because he vanished first" finished Richy Phil's sentence. Phil nodded.

"Then that man on this photo is..." Lilly began.

"...Alan Millan" confirmed Phil.

“Wait, wait, wait. Are we going to suspect a missing former bar owner of the kidnapping of Hannah?” Cleo asked.

"But it makes sense" said Jessy to Cleo "there's a connection between everything."

"And how do we find out if that's true?" Thomas asked.

"We're setting a trap for the kidnapper" Sam said with a grin "and I'm the bait."


	9. Chapter 9

It took half the night to come up with a plan that everyone would agree to. The friends weren't exactly thrilled that Sam was so willing to be the 'bait', but Sam managed to convince everyone that it was the best option they had to find Hannah.

While everyone was still working on the plan, Sam wrote a message to Nora. It didn't surprise her that shortly afterwards her phone rang and Nora called, even though it was quite late. Sam informed Nora as briefly as possible about everything she had learned and about the plan. Nora wanted to get upset, but Sam reminded her that Nora had promised to support her. Then Nora surprised Sam by wanting to speak to Phil.  
Sam went to Phil with her cell phone and held it out to him “for you. Nora wants to speak to you.“ He looked questioningly from Sam to the cell phone and back. Sam smiled "she doesn't like waiting." Phil took the cell phone and walked away so that he could talk in private.  
He came back a few minutes later. "Here, she's still there" Phil gave Sam back her cell phone and left.  
"What did you do to him?" Sam asked.  
“Reminded him what happens if something happens to you. I just promised you not to get upset about you. I've never included the others."  
"Oh, poor Phil" said Sam, but had to laugh.  
“Hey, I wasn't that bad. It was hard as hell with his sexy voice. Not only he looks good, he also sounds damn good."  
"Nora" Sam rolled his eyes.  
“Don't think I wouldn't have noticed that you rolled your eyes, Samantha. It's not my fault that your dearest hacker friend isn't with you. But I'll tell you one thing, when that's over, we'll both go to Duskwood so you can introduce me to this Phil."  
Sam laughed so loud that everyone turned to her. "I don't think that would be that good for me."  
"Because we're too alike?" Nora said, amused.  
"Yes."  
“Well, we'll see that later. Please continue to take care of yourself. And remember, I'm watching you."  
“I hoped so. Goodbye, Nora. I will call you."

When Sam returned to the others after the phone call, Phil looked at her and smiled. “She sounds really cute. And she's fucking fond of you. She'll drag me to hell if something happens to you."  
Sam leaned over to Phil to whisper something into his ear "Then be careful that it doesn't happen. She trains Krav Maga, you should be careful with her” and when Phil looked at her, Sam winked at him.

"Guys, take a room. We work here" Dan said amused when he saw Sam and Phil "besides, I thought you're into the hackerboy, Sam. "

Sam felt herself blush. Phil saw this and was amused. Then he turned to Dan, but spoke so loudly that everyone could hear him. "It's none of your business, Dan, but Sam and I just talked about 'Nora'. She's Sam's best friend and the one who'll drag us to hell if the plan goes wrong and something happens to Sam. She trains Krav Maga, we should all be careful."


	10. Chapter 10

When Sam got back to the motel it was in the middle of the night. But before going to sleep, she checked the camera's recordings and exchanged the memory cards.  
As expected, however, she found nothing conspicuous.

She lay down but couldn't sleep. So she took her phone and looked for the chat between her and Jake.  
'Hey Jake. A lot happened today. I've met the others and we have new clues to investigate. Lilly and I' she paused, but then continued to write 'had to tell the others who you really are. I hope you can forgive me. You actually asked me to keep your secret. But there was no other way. There should be no more secrets in the gang. Anyway, we have a plan. And if all goes well, it will lead us to Hannah.'  
Sam thought about writing more to him. She wanted to write to him that she missed him or what could happen if the plan went wrong, but she let it go. She didn't want to worry him.

As she was about to put the phone down, she saw a new message from Richy, 'Hey ho. I saw that you're still online. Can't sleep?'  
'Hey. No I can't.'  
'Neither do I. I'm worried about you.'  
'You don't need to.'  
'But I do, Sam. I'm just scared something will go wrong.'  
'It won't.'  
'I'd like to have your confidence. Anyway ... thank you.'  
'For what?'  
'That you' reunited 'us. Without you we'd still suspect each other. And without you, I would never have told the others what happened to us back then.'  
'You're welcome, Richy.'  
'Good night, Sam.'  
'Night, Richy.'

Sam put her phone down and smiled. She knew it would be a long and hard day when she woke up in a few hours, but she also knew that she had managed to reunite Hannah's circle of friends so that everyone would work together. And Sam knew that friends were worth so much.

\---

Sam had only slept a couple of hours when the alarm went off. She got up to take a shower and freshen up, had a coffee and breakfast in her room.  
While she ate, she looked again at the camera recordings, but again found nothing conspicuous.

Then she packed all of her belongings, put them in the car, and then checked out. Lilly sat at the reception and the two talked briefly. Lilly looked tired and nervous, but Sam smiled gently. Then she gave Lilly her car key “Here it is. I'll pick it up later. Don't build an accident, the little one and I have been through a lot."

Then Sam took out her phone and wrote a short message to Nora 'It starts now'.

As Richy wrote to her back then, the trail to the Dare House begins next to the motel. Sam followed this path and arrived at the House after about 10 minutes. She looked around. It looked exactly as Sam remembered it when Richy was there.  
'So this is the Dare House' Sam said to herself as she approached the door. Sam knocked on the door, although she didn't expect anyone to answer it. She saw no doorknob or handle. She was surprised. She walked around the house once to look at it from all sides, but found nothing anywhere that she could use as an entrance.

Suddenly Sam was grabbed from behind and something was pressed on her mouth and nose. 'Damn it, chloroform' she was thinking.  
“24 hours are up. You're still here. I've warned you enough times. You didn't want it any other way” said the man to Sam, but she didn't even notice.


	11. Chapter 11

Sam woke up in a dark room with very little light. She wanted to hold her head because she had a hell of a headache, but she couldn't. She found that her hands were tied. Slowly, very slowly, she opened her eyes. 'Where am I?' she asked herself. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she looked around very slowly. It felt like a colony of penguins were flapping their wings on her head and screaming.  
The walls were gray concrete, as far as she could see in the light. She was tied to a chair. Besides this chair, there was only a table and a small lamp that caused the scant light. There was a door on the wall across from her.  
'What happened?' Sam asked herself, but only heard the screaming penguins.  
The memory slowly came back. She was standing in front of the Dare House and was inspecting it when she was grabbed from behind.

Sam tried to move. She didn't succeed. 'How could that happen? What went wrong?' she asked herself. She heard a screaming penguin answer.  
'Not helpful, Skipper' she replied to the penguin. Slowly the penguins fell silent and Sam's mind became a little clearer again. 'Why penguins?' Sam asked herself, but decided to focus on more urgent things first.

Sam wondered at what point it went so wrong when she looked around again.  
As she moved, she felt something in her pocket. Something her attacker probably hadn't noticed. Or he hadn't looked. Fortunately for her, if she somehow managed to loosen the shackles and get to the item. As she tried this, she continued to wonder if and when exactly the plan went wrong.

Then she realized 'it didn't go wrong'. She smiled because it went exactly as they had planned.  
Sam managed to loosen the cuffs on her left hand a little and to get to her trouser pocket. She reached for the small knife in her pocket and grabbed it, cutting herself in the process.  
'Oh dear, I hope nothing happens to Phil' thought Sam when she remembered Nora's words.

After a few more, fortunately not deep, cuts, she managed to break free from the bonds. She picked up the knife correctly and cut the shackles of her right hand, then freed her feet, which were also shackled.

Sam got up slowly. She found that she was still a bit wobbly on her feet. She looked down at herself and checked her pants pockets. The cell phone was gone, but her watch was still on. 'Good for me' she had to smile again.

Sam went to the door but saw no handle or doorknob inside. She saw no other way to open the door either. At least not in that light. She was stuck.  
'Hopefully the others will come soon' she said to herself. She heard a penguin scream. 'Maybe I'm not quite clear in my head after all' again she heard a penguin, it sounded like an agreement.

Suddenly Sam heard that something seemed to be happening in front of the door. Somebody opened the door. Sam instinctively jumped to the side where the door was opened so that she could hide and took the knife tighter in her hand. She was ready to stab and attack from behind.

When the door was open, however, no one entered. Instead, she heard a man "Sam? Are you in here. Are you okay? Please don't attack me. It's me, Dan."  
Sam put the knife away in a quick, deft wave of the hand and came out of its hiding place. "Yes, I am here, Dan."  
He took her in his arms and hugged her. Then he pushed Sam away from him and looked her up and down and asked “are you okay? Is everything still there? Any injuries?"  
Sam smiled at Dan. “I'm okay. I'm fine” she assured him.

Dan took Sam by the hand and they left the room. They met Richy in the hallway.

Sam looked at him "Did you find Hannah?"

"We have. Thomas is with her. She's now outside."

"And what about Alan?"

"Phil is with him and holds him tight."

"I want to see him."

"The police will be here soon" Dan intervened.

"It doesn't take long" Sam said. "Where can I find them?"

"I'll take you there" Richy replied. “Go ahead, Dan. We'll be right there."

Dan nodded to both of them and went out.

Sam looked around and asked “Where are we? What kind of place is this?"

“We are in the basement of an old abandoned house in the middle of Duskwood Forest. Without your watch, Nora wouldn't have found you. We found this" Richy gave Sam her cell phone "in front of the Dare House. We're about 15 kilometers from the House."

"Duskwood's forests are huge, huh?"

"Indeed they are."

Richy took Sam into what must have been a living room. Phil sat across from a man who was handcuffed and bleeding. Sam looked at Phil's hands, his knuckles were bleeding too. The expression on Phil's face could not be interpreted, it showed no emotions or movements.

“Thank you, Richy. Go out” Sam asked him. Richy nodded and left the three of them alone.

"Did he say something?" Sam asked Phil calmly.

Phil looked at her and shook his head, his expression changing. "Are you okay?"

Sam nodded, then looked at Alan. "Why?" Was all she asked.

Alan stared at Sam with hatred but said nothing.

"You've been asked something, bastard" said Phil, punching Alan in the stomach.

Alan just looked at Phil but said nothing.

"Let it go, Phil" Sam began gently, addressed to Phil, then continued in a harsh tone to Alan "that was a rhetorical question. I know why. At least why he kidnapped Hannah. Because she got too close to the truth. It was Alan who killed Jennifer back then. And it was he who killed the woman whose body appeared a few days after Hannah's disappearance."

Alan looked at Phil, then at Sam, but said nothing.

They heard sirens approaching.

"We'll find out why two innocent women had to die and one was kidnapped" said Sam to Phil.


	12. Chapter 12

When the police arrived, Richy led them straight into the living room. They took Alan with them and recorded what everyone was saying.

Shortly after the police, more sirens could be heard approaching.

While Sam, Phil and Richy were still making their statements to the officers, paramedics arrived to look at Sam and Phil's wounds and to provide first aid.

About two hours later everyone was allowed to leave.

Sam checked her cell phone. Thomas had written in the group chat that Hannah was being taken to the hospital and that he had come along. She smiled.

Then she wrote a short message to Nora 'It's over, we've found her. I'm fine. Talk to you later.'

And then she wrote a quick message to Jake 'Hey Jake. Plan worked. We've found Hannah. Write to you later.'

"Rarely out of the interrogation, typing again, huh?" Phil teased.

Sam smiled at him. “I just wanted to write Nora briefly that she should let you live. We don't want anything to happen to your pretty ass."

Dan laughed at the two "Serious guys, take a room."  
Richy looked at the three and smiled too, but said nothing.

"Thank you guys" said Sam more seriously "thank you for trusting me and getting involved in this plan."

"We have to thank you, Sam for bringing our Hannah back to us" Richy replied, hugging her and kissing her on the cheek.

\---

They drove back to the motel together, where they parted ways.  
Richy and Dan made their way to the hospital to check on Hannah. Phil made his way home to freshen up and then headed to the bar.  
Sam wanted to go back to the motel, but then she remembered that she checked out and Lilly had her car key.

She called Lilly. "Hello Sam. I'm sitting in front of Hannah's room in the hospital. A doctor is currently there to examine her. Thank you for saving her."  
"Gladly. Tell me, where do you have my car key?"  
"It's in your room."  
"I checked out this morning."  
“Yes, but I reassigned you to a room. Let's just say Miss Walter doesn't know you checked out. All she knows is that, as an exception, you left the key at reception."  
“Thank you, Lilly. But why did you do that?"  
"I had a feeling that after this you would definitely want to shower or rest."  
"You're the best. Thank you so much!"  
"You're welcome. I will get back to you later."  
"All right. Bye."

Sam picked up the room key at reception, went into the room to get her car key and then to her car to take her things out of the trunk. When she was back in the room, she'd took a bath.

While she was in the bathtub and relaxing, Sam spoke to Nora on the phone and told her what had happened after she wrote to Nora that it was about to start.  
Nora was glad that her best friend was fine and that she had found Hannah.  
"How are you going now, Sam? Are you still staying there?"  
“Today I'm definitely too tired to come home. I would also like to have a chat with Hannah before I leave. I want to know where she got my number from. I also owe the others an explanation."  
“You don't owe anyone anything, Sam. It was about finding Hannah and that is what you did. Mission accomplished."  
“It doesn't feel like it's done yet. Give me another day or two and I'll come back."  
"Fine. Do you still go to the bar?"  
“Yes, the gang wants to meet there later when they get back from the hospital. Maybe then I'll find out more about how Hannah is doing."  
"Give my regards to the sexy bartender."  
That made both women laugh.  
"I will" said Sam. Then they said goodbye and Sam hung up.

Sam felt her muscles relax in the warm water and the tension eased from her.  
She wrote Jake a lengthy text about how they had managed to find Hannah, that she was safe now and in the hospital to be examined.

Then Sam got ready to go to the Aurora.


	13. Chapter 13

When Sam arrived, it was definitely more crowded than it was on her last visit. But that could also be because it was Saturday evening.  
She looked around, saw Cleo, Richy, Dan and Jessy sitting at a table and joined them.  
"Hey guys" she greeted the friends "are Thomas and Lilly still in the hospital?"  
"Yes" Cleo replied "but Thomas wrote me a few minutes ago that they should leave right away and be here soon."  
“There she is. Our Wonder Woman” Sam heard Phil say behind him. He smiled “here, for you” he winked at her as he handed her a cocktail.  
Sam thanked him and sat down at the table.

The mood among the friends was noticeably better now that Hannah was safe and the nightmare was over.  
They talked, laughed and Sam enjoyed it.

When Thomas and Lilly arrived, everyone immediately asked how Hannah was doing.

"Fine, according to the circumstances" Thomas said. He sounded relieved. “She has a few bruises, a few minor wounds on her hands and arms, and a concussion. She is supposed to stay in the hospital for a few more days for observation, but is expected to be released by the middle of next week."

"How are your parents doing?" Sam asked Lilly.

“They are incredibly relieved that Hannah has been found. They're still with her and as I know them they won't leave her tonight either."

“Did Hannah say something? About the kidnapping or something?” Richy asked.

“No, not yet” Lilly replied “the doctor gave her a sedative. The police want to question her again tomorrow."

Now the clique primarily wanted to know more about Sam and Nora. Sam answered any questions the friends had, even though she was totally uncomfortable. She didn't like talking about herself.

At some point Phil crouched down next to Sam when he needed a short break and looked at her smiling. “Hey Wonder Woman. I also have a few questions that the others certainly have too, just don't dare to ask you.” He looked around, amused. “When we were talking two days ago, I asked you why it is so important to you to find a missing woman who you don't know. You said you knew exactly 'how they feel' and you are the one to do it. What happened to you and who are you?"

"I'm Sam" Sam replied with a wink. Then she started talking. “I am the daughter of a diplomat. When I was 10 years old, I was kidnapped. It was only three days til I was found and taken out of there, but it was the three worst days of my life. I was terrified that something bad would happen to me or my father. In any case, I was really traumatized and scared afterwards. My father knew a former Mossad agent whom he asked to help and teach me. Among other things, he taught me to deal with my fear and, above all, to defend myself. I learned a lot from him and I am still learning from him. When the message from Thomas came and I listened to what everyone had to say, I thought back to that experience. And after I found out that the police weren't really making any effort to find Hannah, I was both angry and really sorry for all of you. I was so sorry for you and Hannah. I couldn't say 'no'."  
When she saw the faces of the others, she smiled and added “I know. The story is an absolute mood killer at every party."

Phil was the first to smile and apologize for the question.

"You do not have to apologize. This experience is part of me and made me who I am today."

The rest of the evening everyone talked about light-hearted topics until the group broke up and everyone went home.


	14. Chapter 14

The next day, Sam drove to the hospital with Cleo. They knocked on Hannah's door and entered.  
Hannah looked almost like on the many photos Thomas had shown Sam. However, she was a little emaciated and her hair were a mess.

Cleo hugged her best friend and introduced Sam to Hannah.

"Hello. I've heard a lot about you, Sam. I'm glad to finally meet you.” Hannah sounded weak and she didn't seem to have talked much in the last few days.

"Hello Hannah. I'm pleased to meet you, too. Good we finally found you" Sam said.

"To be honest, I almost gave up hope that someone would find me" Hannah said sadly.

“Now we've got you back and the bastard is caught. It's over” Cleo said gently.

Hannah nodded and then looked at Sam. "May I ask who you actually are? I mean, except for my savior. That goes without saying."

“Do you remember that you sent a message to Thomas? About 3 days after you disappeared?"

Hannah thought for a moment and then nodded.

"So. You sent my number to Thomas” Sam said.

Hannah looked at her puzzled. "What? No. I mean. Yes. I sent a number to Thomas, but not yours. I mean, we don't even know each other. So where should I have your number from?" She took a deep breath to calm down and then continued "Sorry, I'm still a bit confused."

Sam smiled at her. "It's okay, Hannah. Take your time."

Hannah took another deep breath and then continued. “I was being held in a cellar. The same place I finaly was found. After being stuck there for some time, I don't know how long exactly, I somehow managed to free myself from my bonds. And somehow I managed to open the door. I was in an old house but found no exit, hiding place, or even a clue of where I was. But I found my phone. I wanted to call Thomas, but then the kidnapper came and found me. So I didn't have time to think about it. I remembered the number of an old friend and sent it to Thomas in hope that they would help me."

"That friend, who is he?" Sam asked.

“I don't really know, to be honest. We never met personally. We had close contact a few years ago. He was quite a computer genius and I was hoping if I send Thomas his number, they could find me."

"What's that friend's name?" Cleo asked.

"Jake. His name is Jake” Hannah replied.

"That's what I thought" Sam said. "Hannah, the number you hastily sent to Thomas was not Jake's number, it was mine. I do not know whether it was a twist of numbers or whether I took over this number by accident. That is no longer important either. It is important that Thomas received your message and contacted this number. And we looked for you together as you hoped. And we found you" Sam smiled softly "and Jake helped us with that as well, as long as he could."

“Maybe we shouldn't overwhelm Hannah with that. I think what exactly happened and how we did it is not a story to be told in a hospital, but in a bar near a lot of strong alcoholic beverages” Cleo said laughing.

Hannah and Sam laughed because Cleo was absolutely right about that.

"Does that mean we'll meet again?" Hannah asked, turning to Sam.

Cleo took over the answer "Oh yes. If we are wise, we won't let this woman go so quickly."

\---

When Sam got back to the motel, she wrote a message to Jake.  
'Hey Jake. I was in hospital today. Except for a few minor wounds on her hands and arms and a concussion, Hannah is doing fine according to the circumstances. She is supposed to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation, but is expected to be released by the middle of next week.  
Besides, I now know why I was drawn into this. It was a typo. She wanted to send your number to Thomas so you could help him find it. She really likes you. You should tell her who you are.  
I'm going home tomorrow. Mission accomplished!'  
Sam wanted to write to him that she missed him, but she let it go.

\---

When Sam left the motel the next morning, everyone was there except Hannah: Phil, Richy, Jessy, Dan, Cleo, Thomas and Lilly. They all wanted to personally say goodbye to the person who had managed to save their friend and thank her again.  
And everyone wanted her to come back again.

Sam drove home with one laughing and one crying eye. And she knew she would keep in touch with them.


	15. Epilogue 1

A few weeks later, Sam and Nora drove to Duskwood together to spend a long weekend with Sam's new friends.

When they arrived at the motel in the early afternoon, they were greeted by Lilly, who was sitting at the reception. "Hey you two. Sam, welcome back. Nora, welcome to Duskwood, I'm Lilly” she introduced herself to Nora.

"Hey Lilly, I'm happy to finally meet you" Nora said.

Lilly wanted to check them in, but was surprised to find that only one room was reserved.

Sam grinned and then said amused "Nora won't stay here if everything goes according to her plan."

Nora stuck her tongue out at her best friend. At that moment the front door of the motel opened and Phil stepped inside.

“Hello, beauties. What a pleasure to see you” he greeted the ladies, including Lilly, and hugged Sam and Nora in greeting.  
Then he turned to Nora "are your belongings in the car?"

Nora grinned at him and nodded, then looked at Sam "I'll see you tonight at Richy's. Be on time” and then she and Phil left the motel.

Lilly looked at Sam in surprise "What was that?"

“Oh, you know, Lilly. The two get along well. TOO good for my taste. I think the two of them are up to something. Will I get my room key now?"

Lilly had given her the same room as on her last visit. Sam felt strangely home here. She looked at the clock, she still had more than enough time until she was to meet the others at Richy's.

When she was thinking about what she wanted to do until then, her phone rang. She didn't know the number, but answered it. "Hey. Who's there?"  
"I've never really been able to thank you."  
Sam thought about it. It was a male voice and it looked strangely familiar, but she couldn't put a face to it. "I would like to catch up for that."

At that moment there was a knock on the door. Sam was puzzled. She went to the door, her phone still to her ear, and looked through the spyhole. Someone was standing outside her door with a phone to his ear.  
She looked through the spyhole while she hung up. The person in front of the door looked confused at his phone.

Sam opened the door. In front of her was a tall, slender, yet well-trained man with black hair, a few of whom were already graying and a three-day beard. He smiled at her gently "Hello Sam."

She couldn't believe her eyes and ears. "Jake? Is it you?"

He nodded before asking "May I come in?"

Sam nodded and let him in.  
As soon as the door was closed, she grabbed him with a nifty grip and pressed him face first against the wall, holding his right arm tightly and twisting it onto his back.  
"My ass! Who are you?” Sam hissed.

He stayed calm "Sam. It's me. Please believe me. I contacted you after my half-sister Hannah disappeared. You had piqued my interest when you suddenly showed up and you helped me with the search. Until I suddenly had to go into hiding and had to put her fate in your hands. At first I didn't want to tell you anything about myself. It was dangerous because I was wanted. Shall I keep talking? I could tell you, what your answer was, when I asked you, what you would take with you on a deserted island."

Sam loosened her grip a little, but didn't let go of him. "Why are you here?"

He tried to turn around to look at her but couldn't. “Because I wanted to thank you. In my video to you and Lilly, I said we'd both meet again when the time comes. I just didn't think it would take that long. Sam, please let go of me, I would like to look at you."

Sam let go of him, he slowly turned to her and looked at her. In his eyes, Sam saw gratitude, kindness, and insecurity.

"Thanks" said Jake, then smiled "you have a pretty tight grip."

Now Sam smiled "Yes. Excuse me. I had to be sure."

"I understand."

"What are you doing here?"

"As I said. I want to thank you. For everything. I just don't know where to start with the list. "

"At the beginning?" Sam suggested.

Jake smiled at her and looked into her eyes. "Okay. Sam, thank you for helping me find Hannah. I thank you for listening to Thomas and the others and for staying when they asked for your help. I thank you for finding and rescuing Hannah, even though doing so put yourself in danger. I thank you for trusting me, even though I made it anything but easy for you. I thank you for giving me new hope when I was lost. Thank you for making me laugh when no one else could. I thank you for your generosity. Thank you for saving me from myself, Sam. And I thank you that I can be a free man just because of you."

Sam noticed how tears welled up in her eyes. She was overwhelmed by what she had heard.

Jake carefully reached out his right hand, placed it on Sam's left cheek, and wiped a tear away with his thumb.

"Too much?" He asked worriedly.

"No. I'm just overwhelmed by so much gratitude” She paused for a moment. “So you've found out.”

Jake nodded. "Yes, I did. After I found out who you really are. It looks like you've claimed a big favor."

“Someone owed me something. Nobody will hunt you because of your past anymore. You can start all over again. Use it wisely, Jake."

"I will" Jake took a step towards Sam and raised Sam's chin with his right hand, which had been resting on Sam's cheek until then. Then he kissed her.  
Sam felt her knees go weak. There were so much emotions in that kiss.


	16. Epilogue 2

Sam and Jake arrived at Roger's garage on time.  
Jake wasn't sure if he should just come along as he basically didn't know anyone there, but Sam managed to convince him it would be good. Especially since Hannah and Lilly would be there too.

Even though they got there a few minutes early, Sam and Jake were the last. Everyone else was already there. When they saw Sam, everyone's faces lit up and she was greeted with a beam of joy.

Nora was the first to notice Jake and held out her hand in greeting. “Hello handsome stranger. I'm Nora, the best friend of your lovely company. And who are you?"

Jake took Nora's hand and squeezed it. "Nice to meet you, Nora. I'm Jake."

Everyone first looked at him, then at Sam, puzzled, as if they had misheard. Sam nodded and took over the word. “Folks, I'd like to introduce you to Jake, aka the 'mysterious' or 'creepy' hacker and the half-brother of Hannah and Lilly. As you know, he had to go into hiding and Lilly tried to help him after she found out who he is. Up to a point it was successful. Lilly gave me the idea and I helped a little bit and made sure that he doesn't have to hide anymore."

"How did you do that?" Richy asked in disbelief.

Sam smiled and winked at Richy "You know, I have my methods."

Lilly looked at Sam confused "then does that mean he is no longer wanted?"

"That's exactly what it means" Jake replied with a smile. “Thanks to you! I found out that Nora and Sam would be here this weekend and I wanted to take the opportunity to thank Sam and meet you guys."

"How did you know?" Dan asked him "Are you still spying on us?"

"No, he knew from me" Nora confessed. "I know what he means to her and after she told me what she did for Jake, I grabbed Sam's cell phone and texted Jake that he would have the chance to meet you all today."

Sam looked at her best friend in disbelief. "That's why you wanted to arrive so early?!"

"That was one of the reasons" she replied with a wink and looked at Phil.

The friends spent a nice evening together. Hannah and Lilly, in particular, were happy to have the opportunity to learn more about their half-brother.

Later, Hannah and Sam sat down a little apart from the group so that they could talk in private.

“Have you been told everything by now? I mean, what happened and how we found you?” Sam asked.

"Yes" Hannah replied. “After I released out of the hospital and recovered, we were in the Aurora, as Cleo suggested when you two came to see me. And I was happy about that, because Cleo was right, that's really a story where you should have alcohol ready.” She winked at Sam. “I honestly still can't believe what you did for me. And you didn't even know me."

"Did the others tell you why I helped them?"

"Yes they have. I'm so sorry for what happened to you when you were a kid."

“It doesn't have to be. I'm glad that we found you together and that you are safe now.” Sam paused before she asked “You're safe now, aren't you?”

"Yes I am."

"May I ask why all this happened?"

"Of course" Hannah said and then she told Sam her story. Hannah spoke again about what she and Richy had experienced when they were still kids and that she could never really come to terms with it, because the killer was never found and nobody believed what they had seen. She tried to put what had happened behind her, but she just couldn't. She ran into Alan Millan two months ago and something about him was suspicious. He had already sold his bar to Phil by that time and had left Duskwood, so she was surprised to see him. Then she remembered once hearing the rumor that Jennifer was Alan's daughter. She then went with Richy to Iris, Jennifer's mother, to talk to her again about the incident from back then. When Hannah asked Iris about Alan, Iris replied very evasively, but ultimately admitted she had an affair with Alan. But she wasn't sure if he or her husband was Jennifer's father. Hannah also found out that Alan was very aggressive at the time and, shortly after the murder and some time later, also was in therapy to Dr. Barret. After visiting Iris, she suddenly had the feeling that she was being followed. The day she was kidnapped, she decided to ask Jake for help clarifying the truth. Unfortunately, she was kidnapped before she could send him everything she found out. She didn't want to tell Thomas and the others because she was afraid they wouldn't believe her, so she decided on Jake instead. Although the two had not been in contact for a few years, he agreed to help her but then she was attacked. During her detention, she managed to break free and got hold of her cell phone. She wanted to call Thomas, but then Alan came and saw her. Since she couldn't find a place to hide and didn't have much time, she sent Jake's number to Thomas, hoping that the two of them would help her. As she now knows, however, it was Sam's number.  
When Hannah finished, she looked at Sam. "And there your story begins" she said with a smile.

"I'm sorry what happened to you" Sam said sympathetically.

"It's okay. I finally know the truth. After you found me and Alan in this hut, he confessed towards the police. Both the murder of Jennifer and the murder of the other woman. She was a journalist and also wanted to get to the bottom of what happened back then. Alan admitted he never intended to kill her and it was more of an accident. In any case, they have the bastard now and I finally know the truth and can look ahead."

“And do you also know what that “man without a face” legend is all about? Why did he use this mask of all things?"

"Yes, because of us. Richy and I had spoken of a 'tall, terrifying figure' at that time. And since Alan is from Duskwood, he knew the many legends of course and hid behind them. The police found a copy of the book of legends, as well as the mask in the hut where I was being held."  
Hannah smiled. “And now for something nicer. So, you and Jake, huh?"

Sam blushed and didn't know what to answer. Fortunately, Nora and Phil joined them at that moment.  
"Hey you two, we just wanted to say goodbye" Nora said. "Sam, remember, we'll meet tomorrow at 11 am for brunch in the café."

"Your 'Steve Trevor' is welcome to come along if he wants" added Phil and winked at Sam, while he put an arm around Nora's shoulder.

Sam looked at the two. "Before you leave. Phil, do you have a moment? Just a second."

The two walked a few meters to the side, then Sam whispered in Phil's ear “You know how much she means to me. Have a lot of fun together. Do whatever you want. But don't kid her. You know what happens when you hurt her."

“Don't worry, Wonder Woman. I'll take good care of her” he replied softly and then went back to Nora and they left the party together.

Some time later everyone else went home and Sam and Jake went back to the motel together.  
She smiled and took his hand. She knew it was going to be a short night, but she was exactly where she wanted to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
